Continuing his confrontationist approach with the DMK government, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has extended the tenure of the Salem Periyar University’s Vice-Chancellor who id facing charges of corruption and irregularities.

Due to retire on June 30, the tenure of Dr R Jagannathan, has been extended by a year, till May 19, 2025, even as the governor is accused of delaying the constitution of a search committee to scout for a new VC.

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Jagannathan was appointed as the VC in June 2021 for a three year term. His stewardship of the nascent varsity has witnessed many controversies and the non-teaching employees as well as the faculty remaining on a warpath.

Ever since Ravi took over the reins of the Raj Bhavan, he remains unrelenting in debunking the Dravidian ideology and relishing in taking on the elected government of MK Stalin on several occasions. He had been sitting on many bills passed by the Assembly, including those stripping him of the power to appoint VCs.

As chancellor of the state-run universities, he has been unilaterally taking decisions on appointment of VCs, forcing the state government to drag him to the courts.

The extension of Periyar University VC’s tenure is the latest in his crossing swords with the state government. He had unilaterally convened vice-chancellors’ conferences and conducted many convocations, boycotted by state Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi.

Jagannathan was arrested in December last on the charge of misappropriation of funds following a complaint by I Elangovan, advisor to the Periyar University Employees Union.

As per the complaint, the VC along with the Registrar, Dr Thangavel had floated the Periyar University Technology Entrepreurship and Research Foundation (PUTER) in their own names using varsity funds without necessary approval from either Government or the university syndicate. The foundation functions from the varsity premises.

The Employees Union and the Association of University Teachers (AUT), have questioned how the VC and the Registrar, both employees of the university, could be Directors of PUTER with which the varsity can enter into collaboration.

Elangovan, a former professor and an activist advocate, had lodged a further complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention) Atrocities Act against the VC for hurling casteist slur at him.

Upon his arrest, the magistrate court in Salem refused to grant judicial custody and ordered his release on own bail.

Madras High Court, in January this year, stayed further probe against Jagannathan into the allegation of misappropriation of funds and the case filed under the SC/ST Act.

Earlier in November last year, the VC had issued a memo to R Subramani, associate professor of the Journalism and Mass Communication Department for publishing two books, ‘Periyarin Porkkalangal’ (The battles waged by Periyar, the rationalist social reformer) and another on TB Macaulay titled “Macaulay, enemy of conservative education.” The charge against him was that he had not taken prior permission from the university.

Interestingly, Subramani is the Director of the Periyar Chair and Anna Chair as well as that of the Kalaignar Research Centre at the varsity. Anna is CN Annadurai, former Chief Minister and Dravidian stalwart and Kalaignar is late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.

Only the BJP is in solidarity with the VC, while even its ally, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) had demanded stringent action against the VC.